Lighting up hope for martyrs' families

Mr. Trinh Van Tuan and his wife next to the certificate of merit from the Fatherland in honor of martyr Trinh Quang Lam.

Painful Pain

In the newly built house in Thanh Son alley, Dong Thanh commune, every day Mr. Trinh Van Lai still takes care of and burns incense at the altar of his brother - martyr Trinh Van Hai, who sacrificed his life in 1971 during the resistance war against the US to save the country. His eyes were red as he trembled as he held his brother's Fatherland certificate in his hands, then he said: "When he went to the battlefield, I was very young, so all my memories of him were only through my mother's words. When he turned 18, he followed the call of the country and volunteered to go to the battlefield. My mother said that at that time he was very thin and not tall. However, he was very brave and courageous, so he was determined to go to protect the Fatherland. Before leaving, he did not forget to chop wood for his mother, then put his favorite shirt in her hand, telling her to consider it as her son's. And then, for many years, that shirt was still considered a treasure by his mother, carefully wrapped up so that when he returned, Hai would wear it. Then, one day in the middle of 1971, my mother collapsed when she received her son's death notice. She still hoped that the death notice was just a mistake. However, the war ended, the young men who joined the army at the same time as Hai returned one by one, but he did not. No, I waited forever but still couldn't see him.

Recalling the story of more than twenty years of searching with the hope of bringing his brother's remains back, Mr. Lai sighed and said: "My mother said that when alive, there is still a person, when dead, there is still a handful of bones, even if it is just a handful of ashes, she still hopes to bring him back to rest in the arms of his family and loved ones." However, before her wish was fulfilled, her mother passed away.

Silently holding the certificate of merit of his brother, martyr Trinh Quang Huu, and the photo of martyr Trinh Quang Lam, which has blurred over time, the paint on the wooden frame has faded in many places, Mr. Trinh Van Tuan in village 12, Nga An commune, seemed to be looking at his two brothers during the farewell ceremony without having time to say goodbye. With a choked voice, Mr. Tuan said: "My family has two brothers who are martyrs, brother Huu volunteered to go to war first, a few years later brother Lam also asked to follow. My brothers encouraged my mother not to cry, then said, our army is fighting for every inch of the Fatherland with the enemy, blood is red on the battlefield, how can your son feel secure at home. So please allow us to go to war."

In those days, there were late afternoons, when I came home, the meal was served but my mother did not eat, she sat there absent-mindedly for a long time and then sobbed: "When I was still at home, every afternoon after school or herding buffalo, cutting grass, Huu and Lam often cooked rice for me. Now they are gone forever, no letters, not even a word of inquiry". Then, the long days passed, there were countless afternoons when my mother went to the river to wait, then returned with a deep, distant gaze. During the days when my mother sobbed and recalled old stories, she often skipped meals. Until one day my mother received a death notice of Trinh Quang Huu who died on January 2, 1968. A few years later, the family received a death notice of Trinh Quang Lam who died on January 20, 1971. From then on, my mother's health gradually weakened, unable to wait for the day to bring back the remains of her brothers.

“After many visits to battlefields and places where relatives fought and died, the family found Lam’s grave in a martyrs’ cemetery in Binh Phuoc province (now Dong Nai province), but Huu’s grave has not been found yet. However, conditions no longer allow it, and the family’s circumstances are somewhat difficult, so the long trips to find Huu’s grave have become less frequent. I just hope that one day, the grave will be found and my brother’s name will be engraved on the stone tablet, and no longer be “Unknown Martyr”, Mr. Tuan said with sobs.

The yearning of Mr. Hai and Mr. Tuan's families is also the yearning of thousands of martyrs' families across the country. The country has fallen silent, but there are still countless mothers waiting for their children, wives waiting for news of their husbands, children waiting for news of their fathers...

The wish has come true

Early in the morning of July 2025, the heavy downpour could not stop relatives and friends from coming to Mr. Trinh Van Lai's house to ask and chat.

Lighting up hope for martyrs' families

Mr. Trinh Van Lai looks at the photo, a souvenir of his brother - martyr Trinh Van Hai.

"Today, my children and many relatives on both sides have found my brother, Mom," Mr. Lai slowly confided and said, "That day, when we heard that the Provincial Police were coordinating with the authorities to collect DNA samples to identify the martyr, my whole family was very happy. My sisters and I immediately went to the commune police headquarters to collect DNA samples. This was like a last ray of hope for my family to be able to find my brother after so many long years of waiting and searching. Luckily, just a few days after collecting the DNA sample, my family received information that the DNA sample taken from the grave of martyr Trinh Van Hai was related to mine. After so many years of waiting, the family's wish has come true. This is also the greatest consolation for the deceased mother."

Joy and tears, that was also the common feeling of Mr. Trinh Van Tuan's family when receiving the news that the DNA sample taken from the grave of martyr Trinh Quang Lam matched Mr. Tuan's sample. Choking up, Mr. Tuan said: "In the journey of several decades to find the graves of my two brothers, my family has gone through many hardships and difficulties. For many years, we still thought that my brother, martyr Trinh Quang Lam, was in a martyr cemetery in Dong Nai province because his name and hometown were the same. Every year, my family also went there to visit and burn incense for the grave. However, when we received the DNA sample results, Lam's grave is now in Duc Co cemetery (Gia Lai). Based on the above information, my family will soon arrange to go to the two provinces to verify the exact information and grave of Lam. However, the thing that we are most concerned about right now is that Trinh Quang Huu's grave has not been found yet. Therefore, we hope that we will soon find Huu's grave so that the joy of reunion can be more complete."

The war has ended, but the post-war pain still lingers. Throughout this S-shaped strip of land, there are countless martyrs' remains still lying in the deep forests and cold streams. To kindle hope for thousands of families still waiting for news of their children, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police force has established working groups, closely coordinating with local authorities, the Provincial Military Command and related units to review, update data and organize DNA sampling, to create a gene bank for comparison, thereby identifying martyrs, bringing them back to their families and homeland. During the first peak period, from May 12 to 16, 2025, the authorities collected DNA samples from 933 cases of biological mothers and maternal relatives of martyrs. Of which, the identities of two unidentified martyrs were successfully verified, namely martyr Trinh Van Hai, born in 1952 in Dong Thanh commune and martyr Trinh Quang Lam, born in 1952 in Nga An commune.

Following that result, Thanh Hoa Provincial Police are continuing to carry out the second peak period, from July 1 to 27, 2025, to complete the collection of DNA samples for all relatives of martyrs with unknown information in the area.

Although we know that the journey to find the remains of unidentified martyrs will still be full of difficulties and challenges, we hope that with the efforts of all levels and sectors, the souls of the unknown martyrs will soon find their relatives and return home.

Article and photos: Nguyen Dat

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/thap-len-hy-vong-cho-than-nhan-gia-dinh-liet-si-255133.htm